South Dakota

Culling the herd: Sioux Falls police kill 50 deer living in city limits, Argus Leader, March 7, 2018According to Sioux Falls Animal Control, the deer removal operation was focused in the southeast, west and northeast areas of the city, which have high deer populations, a high number of vehicle accidents and extensive landscaping damage. A total of 25 deer were removed from the west and southeast, and 25 deer were removed from the northeast. Keeping the deer population in check will help the remaining deer herd stay healthy and will create safer roadways for drivers.

Pierre won’t hunt any deer in city limits this winter, Capitol Journal, Oct 25, 2017After 4 years of culling and a big flood in 2011, the hunt is off again in Pierre for bucks and does. For the second consecutive year the city doesn’t need to cull any deer via hunters because there doesn’t seem to be enough within city limits even to warrant counting them, Commissioner Jim Mehlhaff told the other commissioners on Tuesday. he big flood on the Missouri River in 2011 chased a lot of deer out of the city, Mehlhaff said. And apparently the deer have not wandered back in big numbers.

City of Sioux Falls To Harvest 50 Deer In 2017, KDLT, Jan 4, 2017DeJong said, “We are removing deer for a depredation reason so we do bait the areas we are going to work in. Some areas have blinds set up on the ground.” Animal control says 16 people are qualified to harvest the deer. They say they will use special suppressed rifles with a sub-sonic round so they don’t travel far, and don’t create a lot of noise.

Deer Removal Good For City And Herd, KDLT News, March 9, 2016The plan has been around since 2014 and has removed a total of 75 deer from the Sioux Falls area. It started as a way to reduce the number of deer versus car collision however, removing the deer does more than just reduce the chance for a fender bender. Not only is there more food available, but the spread of disease is reduced; not only among the herd but also to your pets. The removed deer were then processed by Sportsmen Against Hunger and over 1,200lbs of meat were donated to the surrounding area.

Sioux Falls kills 45 deer in city limits, ArgusLeader, March 9, 2016The deer that darted onto Rice Street last October ruined Jill Lerdal’s commute to work and totaled her Ford Escape. A couple of weeks later, another deer slammed into the side of her husband’s car on the same stretch of road. “It’s nothing to see two dozen of them standing there on a daily basis,” Lerdal said. “There are dead deer on this road all the time.” That’s why the city tapped a team of sharpshooters for the second year in a row to thin out the city’s herd. Hunters have killed 45 since January. That total falls below the city’s goal of removing 75 deer, but it’s more than the 30 killed during the same period last year.

Last year, officers removed 30 deer from the area. The increase comes after the City collected input from citizens in a number of surveys and forums.

Southeast Sioux Falls overrun by deer, KSFY-NBC, Jan 14, 2015There have been close to $200,000 dollars worth of property damage from deer. Game, Fish and parks issued permits for 30 deer which have to be killed between now and February 15th. The harvesting of bucks is allowed, but Sioux Falls Police are focusing on Doe’s.

City right to control deer population, Argus Leader, Jan 14, 2015The Sioux Falls Police Department announced a plan Wednesday morning to control the deer population in the city by having officers shoot them.

Are we helpless?

"The native plants are tramped down, the bushes are gnawed, and my three-year-old grandson can't play in the back yard because of the deer droppings. If humans entered our property and exacted such a toll we would have legal recourse We're watching the curb appeal and property value decline at a time when our taxes are rising. We are without defense."
M. Holland, Ann Arbor resident